The Biology of Relationships: What Behavioral Genetics Tells Us About Interactions Among Family Members.
Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: Human behavior is subject to genetic variations. The ways in which individuals differ in their intellectual abilities, personalities, and mental health are, to a large extent, functions of their inherited genetic predispositions. Decades of research on twins, adoptees, and families have led to the inescapable conclusion that most reliably measured psychological characteristics are influenced to some degree by genes. Behavior also shows signs of genetic influence; the way one experiences stressful life events, for example, shows some genetic influence. Even personal aspects of individuals, such as spirituality and political ideology, are affected to an extent by genes.1 It should come as no surprise, then, that genes influence the ways in which families function and how family members relate to one another.2 Familial relationships of all kinds—parent-child, sibling, and spousal—can be shown to be at least partially the product of genetic factors.
This Article discusses a behavioral genetic perspective that provides insight into the biological factors that influence family relationships. Part II presents a brief overview of the research methods used to understand both genetic and environmental influences on human behavior. Part III then discusses several key findings from the field of behavioral sciences, particularly how they pertain to the ways in which family members relate to one another. It focuses on the following: (1) characteristics of parents and variations in the ways they treat their own children; (2) characteristics of children and how they may react to their parents’ behavior; and (3) the interactive processes that occur between parents and children. While the primary focus of Part III is on parent-child relationships, Part IV considers sibling and spousal relationships. Part V discusses the general interpretation of family relationships from a behavioral genetic perspective.
Source: PubMed
Author: Laura A Baker
Institution: University of Southern California
Language: English
Subfield: Demography
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W271857876